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Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 10: India’s Former Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar shared an unfiltered perspective on the recent debate sparked by Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal’s comments about Indian startups focussing on consumer products instead of large scale problem solving, deep tech and innovation. “Deep Tech is the new battleground and India has its ambition not to be crowded out in this race,” Rajeev Chandrasekhar at the India Global Forum’s NXT25.
Speaking at the TechFrontiers Forum at India Global Forum’s NXT25: Leading the Leap Summit on April 8, Chandrasekhar said: “I disagree with this characterisation (of pitting consumer-centric Indian startups against innovation-centric ones). I don’t think this is binary; there are many innovations that Indian entrepreneurs have done that are not deep tech, but in quick commerce & e-commerce. If something is not in deep tech it doesn’t make it less innovative.”
He added: “Deep Tech is the new battleground. Players in this battleground: China, through DeepSeek, has made it clear that it is no longer a consumer of Deep Tech. On the other hand, India has its ambitions not to be crowded out in this race.”
Against the backdrop of India’s rapid digital transformation, the TechFrontiers Forum explored breakthrough innovations shaping the global tech landscape. From AI-driven supply chains and quantum computing to sustainable innovation and digital infrastructure, industry leaders and policymakers examined the opportunities, risks, and disruptions defining the next era of technological advancement.
In a virtual address, Lord Patrick Vallance, Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation, United Kingdom spoke about strengthening UK-India collaboration in future-defining technologies. “By working together on technologies that will undoubtedly shape our future we can improve the lives of our citizens and support business,” he remarked.
In a conversation themed, ‘Voice, Vernacular, Vision – Unlocking India’s AI Potential for All’, Manu Jain, CEO, G42 India, said, “We, as Indians, have been the largest consumers of tech products and services. When it comes to AI, it will be a bigger transformation, and we must ensure some part of it should be here locally through data sovereignty, which means all data of Indian users stays in India.”
Keshav Reddy, Founder and CEO, Equal AI, further added: “India has the opportunity to become the largest consumer of application AI. In rural India, you see a lot of people exchanging voice notes due to lack of digital literacy of typing vs voice which is easy. Hence, voice LLMs that can converse with a speech-to-speech model is the future.”
Freelancer CEO Matt Barrie unpacked how AI, automation, and digital platforms are redefining the idea of work. “All governments have a universal problem, is that a lot of people are on unemployment benefits. Governments have figured out that lower beneficiaries on employment benefits are harder to move into the workforce of fulltime employment. The best way to solve this is through micro employment using the cloud and this is something we help through our accelerator program,” he said.
Speaking about how international partnerships can improve sustainability and urban development, Jaewon Peter Chun, Chairman & President, World Smart Cities Forum (WSCF), said: “Smart cities are not just urban development projects. We design them based on the characteristics and needs of people living in urban households–this approach is what makes them different.
Bringing together CEOs, policymakers, global investors, and industry disruptors, NXT25 explores the biggest trends shaping India’s future on the world stage, spotlighting India’s ambitions for the next 25 years and its emergence as a global powerhouse in investment, technology, sustainability, and innovation.
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The summit is supported by the UK Government, Government of Maharashtra, and the Commerce Ministry of India. Bloomberg TV is the official international media partner.
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India Global Forum tells the story of contemporary India. The pace of change and growth India has set itself is an opportunity for the world. IGF is the gateway for businesses and nations to help seize that opportunity. To know more, click here.
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